Student Ambassadors 2014-15

Below are the Lassonde Ambassadors for the 2014-2015 academic year.

Alex Carr

Alex is a free-spirited student entrepreneur with innovation on the mind and creativity in the soul. Originally a transfer student to the U of U with a diverse background of study, Alex now studies Multi-Disciplinary Design and Entrepreneurship with an emphasis in consumer products. Alex specializes in business development, fundraising, Int’l manufacturing, branding, intellectual property (patents), marketing and management. In 2012 he started his second company, Char Poles, Inc., at the age of 21 while attending the University of Utah. Having participated in a majority of the extracurricular entrepreneurship programs, Alex strives to assist in the success of other student companies by helping students find resources and funding necessary to begin creating their own vision.

Courtney Doyle

Courtney received her BS in Mechanical and Electrical engineering from the University of Michigan in 2007. She completed her MS in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Utah in 2011, and is currently working towards her PhD with an emphasis in Robotics. During her time at The U, Courtney has enjoyed volunteering for the FIRST program, teaching kids about the exciting world of STEM. The Lassonde FLL Ambassador position is a great opportunity to help further her outreach aspirations.

Wallace Fetzer

Wallace Osborn Fetzer is a sophomore studying Marketing and Film & Media Arts at the University of Utah. Wallace plans to use innovative design and film to help emerging businesses and entrepreneurs get on the map. Wallace is also proud to have been raised in a family of 16 children in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Heath French

Heath French is a fourth year undergraduate at the University of Utah working on a degree in computer science. He has worked for the Lassonde Institute for two years before as an assistant for Anne Bastien with the UTFLL Program. Once he is finished with his computer science degree, he hopes to get a PhD in the same area and eventually start his own company that will focus on the production of robots

Kristopher Hawkins

I am a second year student studying Entrepreneurship. I moved from Reno, Nevada, because of the University of Utah’s great business program and the Lassonde Institute. Going into entrepreneurship and working with a startup that the Lassonde Institute helped start, the Lassonde is a perfect fit for me. Because I get so excited about the programs they offer I wanted to have a formal way of teaching and helping others get involved. I am excited to be a 2014-2015 Lassonde Ambassador because I get to inspire and help others reach their goals, which is my true passion.

Vy Huynh

I am currently majoring in Business Management. I was born and raised in Vietnam. I came to the United States five years ago, when I was fifteen years old. I am the first one in my family to go to college and earn a degree. I would love to help the youth and share my experience about college. It makes me feel good when I can help those around me and help them have a better life. It gives me inspiration and motivation to make a difference because of my own experiences. Anyone can fulfill their dreams if they work hard at it and never lose their determination.

Derek Jewell

No bio

Andres Lancheros

Andres Lancheros was born in Bogota, Colombia, and has resided in the United States for 9 years. Currently, Andres is working toward an honors degree in finance and a degree in economics with a minor in Portuguese. During his time at the U, Andres has been part of the Business Scholars Program, ASUU, and the Presidential Ambassadorship. Andres enjoys watching comedies, taking naps, going on walks, and living a simple life.

Elizabeth Morales

My name is Elizabeth Morales, I am majoring in ESL Secondary Education. My passion as a Lassonde Ambassador started when I became an Innovation Scholar and started working on my road map to find ways to expand Diversity here on campus. I have worked many years with the minority youth around the Salt Lake City area. After becoming aware of the lack of representation of Diversity in Higher Education, I teamed up with the Lassonde Ambassadors to be able to recruit intelligent, creative, and vibrant new students from all over who share a passion in Education and Science like myself.

Andrew Pagels

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Christopher Pagels

No bio

Jessica Ramirez

My name is Jessica and I am a sophomore studying business administrations while also doing prerequisites for medical school. Even before I began college I knew that I wanted to have an impact on the world. When I was 17 I went to the South American Country of Peru to do humanitarian work and that was when I realized I was passionate about social justice and humanitarian work. As soon as I was home from Peru I began to sign up for more service opportunities and began to think about starting a charity of my own. Being a part of the Lassonde Ambassador program has helped me think about moving my ideas from the brainstorm stage to the action stage. I am so excited to be a part of this team and to make a difference in the community.

Vanessa Robles

My name is Vanessa Robles and I am pursuing a bachelors in ESL secondary education, then I plan to continue into grad school to get a masters in student affairs. My passion was driven after taking an Ethnic studies course and learning the difficulties first generation and minority students face, such as myself. My interests and passions relate to the Ambassador program to gain leadership experiences that will further help me in my educational experience. I’m a huge believer in learning from personal experiences and, as a first generation student, believe that being an Ambassador for the Lassonde Institute will strive and motivate first generation students to higher education. The Lassonde community knows that school is a priority despite the work titles I have, and key to success is to become Involved. Lassonde has granted me an opportunity that I have been seeking too

Melissa Rodriguez

Currently, I am studying Finance and plan to pursue investment banking or private equity as a career. Upon completion of my undergraduate degree, I plan to attend Law school to study patent law. Obtaining a degree in Finance and Law will allow me to continue my service on a global scale as I have participated in numerous service projects since junior high school. As service has been an integral part in my life, being a part of the Lassonde Ambassador program allows me to continue to make an impact at the university level. The program aligns with my passion of being a resource for first generation and low income students and to provide them with information on the opportunities available to them.